Sonalde Desai: Politics and India's New Young
In an opinion piece for the Indian Express, MPRC faculty associate Sonalde Desai writes about the effects of rising education, increased exposure to “global culture”, and limited job opportunities on political decision-making among young people in India. Today’s youth are better educated than in the past, but for many people investment in education has not resulted in economic prosperity. Two thirds of young men with college degrees are unable to find a regular salaried job. And although there has been a growing assimilation with global culture through television and social media, this has not had much effect on social norms, which remain largely conservative. As a result, young people in India are primed to support political platforms that promise economic opportunity along with social conservatism.